Gardening

Whispy ornamental grasses are versatile plants in any garden or landscape. Give your garden four seasons of interest with low-maintenance ornamental grasses. We've rounded up some of the best varieties to try in your yard. You'll love how they look in the wind!

Recipes and Cooking

If you’re a beginner baker who’s just starting out (or a master chef looking to declutter), start with this list of baking must-haves. We’ll help you set up a baking kit for beginners with 21 essential tools. Or for those who already own these tools, this list may finally provide the motivation you need to toss that never-been-used soufflé dish. Building your essential baking toolbox starts here!

Home Improvement Ideas

With so many types of house styles, narrowing the list down to your favorite can be overwhelming. We'll show you the top 10 most popular house styles, including Cape Cod, country French, Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, Craftsman, cottage, Mediterranean, ranch, and contemporary. Here's how to tell the differences between each architectural style.

Cleaning and Organizing

Washing clothes by hand is a little extra work, but it's a well-worth-it laundry chore. Here's how to properly wash clothes by hand, which will give extra life to those special items in your clothes closet.

Add a touch of sophistication to your walls with this simple string art project. It's one of those crafts that looks way harder than it actually is. Even the most inexperienced DIYers can create a beautiful piece o stringf art for any room or make one to give as a gift. We'll show you how to do it in three steps using basic supplies.

What You Need

Wood block

Letter, printed on paper

Small nails

Hammer

Crochet string or thread

Hammer

Scissors

Painters tape

Step 1: Attach Pattern

Print out a large letter of your choice to use as a pattern. Be creative; you're not limited to just letters. You could also do a special date, a number, an outline of your home state, or a profile of an animal. Place the printed desgn on a wood bloock, then tape it in place.

Step 2: Add Nails

Using your pattern as a guide, hammer nails around the outline of the shape. Remove the paper when you're finished. Don't worry if it tears—you won't need it after this step.

Step 3: Wrap String

Now for the fun part! Start by tying a knot around a corner nail to secure one end of the string to the board. Moving from nail to nail, wrap the string in random patterns until you reach the end of the shape. If at any point, the tension is too slack or you run out of thread, you can cut and tie the string at the nail you're on, then start with a new piece. Feel free to experiment with matching or contrasting string colors as you go. Tie a knot at the last nail you land on, and your project is finished!